Against All Odds
by mpb1204
Summary: Lily and James. self explanatory
1. Chapter 1

**This is my James/Lily fanfiction. I also have a Snape/Bellatrix, a Harry/Ginny and one about the four founders of Hogwarts. Please read and review.**

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While Lily Evans was the prettiest girl in Hogwarts, her best friend, Alice Aldridge, was the reality. Half of the male population of the school had been with Alice in one way or another since she was eleven, when she was first found in the second floor broom closet with a boy. Alice was pretty enough, with long, straight dark hair and big, hazel eyes. What the boys liked most about Alice was that she wore her v-neck sweaters lower than any other girl in the school and her skirt higher than anyone else as well.

"Hey Lily," Alice said, sitting next to Lily Evans by the lake. It was a sunny afternoon late in June, and the older students gathered at the lake during their free periods. Alice lit a cigarette and took a long drag.

"Stop smoking those, Al!" Lily said, coughing. "They're so gross."

"Then stop supplying me with them," Alice said, blowing a ring of smoke in Lily's face. Lily groaned and stuck her nose in "Hogwarts: A History".

"Lily," Alice said quietly, with a smug smile on her face.

"What!" Lily snapped.

"James is looking at you," Alice said.

"I don't care. He's a jerk," Lily said, trying to read.

"He's really cute. He definitely likes you," Alice said.

"No he doesn't. You heard him; he called me a 'prude bookworm'."

"Oh Lil- give it up, that was when you were like twelve. You're sixteen now," Alice said. "Plus, James is really nice sized," Alice smirked.

"What do you mean?" Lily asked, looking up from her book.

"Jesus, you really are prude," Alice said, taking another drag on her cigarette.

"I am not prude!" Lily exclaimed.

"Yes you are," Alice said. "No offense or anything. I mean the only time you've kissed a boy was with Remus Lupin, during prefect duty a few months ago."

Lily ignored Alice; instead she was looking at something else. Lily sighed, "They are the perfect couple." Frank Longbottom, tall and handsome, was kissing Leah Ethan down the neck. Frank was the valedictorian, while Leah, dumb as a dog, had Farrah Fawcett blond hair and blue eyes. They had been together since first year, and they were now in their seventh year.

"I wonder what it takes for them to stay together like that," Lily said.

"She must give really good blowjobs," Alice responded.

"What was that?" Lily, a hopeless romantic, said in a trance.

"Oh-nothing," Alice replied hastily.

"Oh my god, Lil!" Alice gasped.

"What?"

"Ohmigod! I forgot to tell you what I saw two periods ago…before the OWLS," Alice said.

"What?" Lily sat up straight, hungry for a new piece of gossip.

"Ohmigod! Ok, so Frank, Frank Longbottom was in like potions or something, and Leah had a free period," Alice paused for breath. "So anyways, I was flirting with Roger Ashwood, you know, that hot seventh year in Ravenclaw, and then he was like 'hey Alice. You want to go to the broom closet?' and I said ok. So when we got to the broom closet, we walked in on no other but Leah Ethan and Sirius Black! They were making out!" Alice explained.

"Oh my god!" Lily gasped, eyes wide. "Wait…aren't you going out with Sirius?"

"Well not anymore, obviously, as we were both cheating on each other," Alice said smiling, as she put out her cigarette with the rounded tip of her pumps.

"Are you upset?" Lily asked, concerned.

"No, not really, no. He just looked good on my arm."

Lily laughed. "Wow, I wonder when Frank will find out!"

"I think that's happening right now," Alice said, turning her head to look at the scene that was taking place. Roger Ashwood, the seventh year Ravenclaw, had taken Frank aside. Leah sat with her friend Bonnie, looking thoroughly nervous. Alice was smiling smugly. A dark look had come across Frank's face and he turned and stared at Leah with killing eyes.

"I…I'm sorry," Leah said, running after him.

Frank turned around. "Your apologies are meaningless, Leah. It's over- and don't act like this was the first time!" Frank said hastily, rudely.

"So I guess they weren't as happy as everyone thought," Lily said, lighting herself a cigarette.

"I guess not," Alice responded, taking a drag of the fresh cigarette.

Lily smiled at Alice. "Be careful or you will become a chain smoker like Petunia!" Both the girls laughed wildly at this.

"Eww! I never want to be like Petunia! She's such a bitch!" Alice exclaimed.

"I second that," Lily said.

"Hey, Evans," a voice behind them said. "It looks really sexy when you smoke."

"Oh shut it Potter! Go away!" Lily said rudely.

"Excuse me," James said, nudging his friends and they all walked away.

"Ugh, they're so rude!" Lily said.

* * *

James POV

Lily Evans was the most beautiful creature on earth. Sometimes, when I closed my eyes to go to sleep, she appeared in my mind. In my dreams, I could feel her golden red hair, soft in my hands as I crushed her mouth against mine. But when I woke, my Lily, the one I loved, the one from my dreams, was gone. Instead, the real Lily was there; at breakfast reading the Daily Prophet; at Potions, busy being the best in the class; in the common room, laughing with Alice Aldridge, always hating my guts.

I had no idea what I could do to make things better, to make her consider me as a real human, not stupid, jerky James Potter, the rich boy. Last year for Valentines Day, I had bought her a beautiful necklace; it was encrusted with rubies and would have emptied anyone's vault in Gringotts if their last name was not Potter. But I never gave it to her. Instead, I had thrown it in the murky water in a puddle in Hogsmeade. I watched as it had sunk to the bottom, disappearing into the dark. Then I looked at her, laughing and smiling and talking to other boys. My heart sank with the necklace and for awhile, I felt as it would never surface again.

Sometimes, in Divinations, I tried really hard, in the hope I would see a future with Lily and myself, but I, and Sirius, and Lily, all saw premature death. I knew divinations were rubbish. But if I was to die prematurely, I would want to do so next to Lily, with my hand in hers.

I sighed at my ridiculous daydream, but no matter where my mind led me, it would always return to Lily and her green eyes.

I was not satisfied with any other girl but Lily. I had slept with countless amounts since the end of my third year, but Lily was never one of them. I remember I screamed at Sirius in rage when Remus had made out with Lily a few months ago, and Sirius set me up with this hot little fourth year named Roxanne who gave me the best sex I ever had. But Roxanne was no consolation for Lily.

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Lily's POV

No one knew how badly I wanted James Potter. I would lust after him and his conceited ways, and secretly I would swoon over the way he would carry around that stupid Snitch and ruffle up his messy hair. I was like every other girl in the school, wanting James Potter to take their virginity. I would never let him though, he was not for me. He was too rich and rude and I could never be with someone like that. But oh- he was so good looking. My heart would beat faster and stronger when I would see him, or hear his voice, and butterflies would form in my stomach whenever he spoke to me. He was not for me. He had had countless girls, and I had only been kissed once. No, he was not for me. James Potter would marry some pretty slut, like that Roxanne girl, and although I hated to admit it, someone like Alice.

Eileen Bryant and Jody Campbell, the other two in our dorm, came and joined Alice and I. "Hey Lily," Jody said to me, smiling, "James is looking at you."

Secretly, my heart lifted joyously and all I wanted to do was scream in delight and grin stupidly and hugely, but never, never, would I let anyone know of my girlish crush. "Shut it, Judy," I said. "He's a jerk."

We were now dangling our feet in the water in hopes of cooling down amongst the hot day. "Oh you so love him, Lily," Eileen said smiling, "Come on...admit it."

"I know! That's what I always tell her!" Alice said.

"Well, a change of topic," I said. I didn't want to discuss James. I didn't want my secret getting out. "How did you find the OWLS?"

"I failed," Eileen said, putting her head down.

"Oh- shut up Eileen!" Alice said hastily. "You're the best in the year."

"Well not at potions," Eileen said, "I'm not as good as Lily in potions."

"I don't think Slughorn is even as good as Lily in potions," Jody said, laughing.

"Oh, that's not true," I said, but I turned my head when I heard laughs and cheers in the distance. My heart stopped when I saw Severus Snape's mouth full of pink soap bubbles. He was choking- I had to do something! Then I saw James, Sirius and Remus. Those disgusting jerks.

"Leave him ALONE!" I yelled at them. James's face was pink with laughter and I just wanted to go up to him and kiss him, but I had to make a stand, and Snape! That poor boy!

James messed up his hair again, driving me crazy. "All right, Evans?" he said. His voice was different know, deeper, more mature and I loved hearing him talk like this. But I couldn't let this torture of Snape go on.

"Leave him alone," I said again, this time more quietly. He wasn't who I thought he could be, he was worse- inhuman. Snape was innocent, just a sad, innocent boy. "What's he done to you?" I asked James, but I knew the answer. Nothing.

"Well, it's more the fact that he _exists, _if you know what I mean…" James suddenly made me sick. Everyone laughed, except for me. Any thought of lust I had prior to this moment was gone, vanished.

"You think you're funny," I stepped towards him, "But you're just an arrogant, bullying toerag, Potter. Leave him _alone._"

"I will if you go out with me, Evans," James said to me. Five minutes ago, I would have been on cloud 9, but now I was just plain sick. "Go on," he continued, "go out with me, and I'll never lay a wand on old Snivelly again."

"I wouldn't go out with you if it was a choice between you and the giant squid," I said quickly before I could change my mind.

"Bad luck, Prongs," Sirius said to James. Everyone looked from James to me, from me to James. I was humiliated to be associated with him. Snape pointed his wand at James and a gash appeared on James's cheek. His robes were spattered with blood, and silently I was grateful to Snape. Before I could smile, I saw Snape hanging upside down, his legs and underwear displayed for everyone to see. Again, everyone laughed except for me. This was awful. The embarrassment Snape must have felt.

I was furious. "Let him down!" I said.

"Certainly," James replied, and I breathed with a sigh of relief.

_"Locomotor mortis!"_ I heard Sirius say. Snape fell back once again and I pulled my own wand out and pointed it at them.

"Leave him alone!" I shouted at them. They were being so cold.

"Ah, Evans, don't make me hex you," he said, giving me a sideways glance. It was the look. The look that Alice and Eileen and Jody all talked about. The look that said "I want to get in your pants, Evans." I returned a cold look and he winced. He was obviously not used to being denied.

"Take the curse off him then!" I shouted at James. I was raging with anger. James sighed and took the curse off Snape. I nodded in approval.

"There you go," he said in a bored tone of voice. "You're lucky Evans was here, Snivellus…"

Snape cut in and said, "I don't need help from filthy little Mudbloods like her." I hated it so much when people used that word. It made me feel so degraded.

But I knew I was a bigger person than Snape. "Fine," I said to him. "I won't bother in the future. And I'd wash your pants if I were you, _Snivellus_."

"Apologize to Evans!" James pointed his wand at Snape, but I didn't care anymore at Snape's well-being.

"I don't want _you_ to make him apologize. You're just as bad as he is," I yelled at James, handsome James.

"What!" he said. "I'd NEVER call you a- you-know-what!"

He was just as bad as Snape, but in different ways. Mainly, I was resentful that James had asked out every other girl in the school except for me and Moaning Myrtle. "Messing up your hair because you think it looks cool to look like you just got off your broomstick, showing off with that stupid Snitch, walking down corridors and hexing anyone who annoys you just because you can- I'm surprised your broomstick can get off the ground with that fat head on it. You make me SICK!" I walked away from him, from everyone, from everything.

"Evans!" he called after me, "Hey, Evans!" But I ignored him, quickening my pace to a furious run.

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James's POV

Defeated, I walked back to the dorms alone. I got into my bed and cried. I would never have Lily; she has never, and will never love me. I made such a fool of myself in front of her. How was I supposed to know she had a rubbish sense of humor? No…she didn't have a rubbish sense of humor; she was the only one of us with a good head on her shoulders. At that moment, I loved her so much that my hormone laced heart overwhelmed me.

This was the first time I had cried in a long time. It was the first time I had cried since Grandmother and Grandfather Potter got eaten by sharks on holiday in Bermuda. It was a shock, but right now, this felt twenty times worse.

"Hey mate," Sirius said, "Jesus Christ! Stop crying. You're like a fucking girl."

I wiped my eyes and sat up. "James, I would like you to meet a friend of mine," Sirius said.

A fourth year with big breasts and long blond hair appeared in the doorway. "Hi James. I'm Veronica," the girl said brightly.

"I'll let you two get acquainted," Sirius said with a smile as he closed the door.

My shirt was off and I saw her eyeing my muscles. The awkwardness was killing me, but not as much as Lily was. "Are you going to fuck me or not…Veronica?" I said. She came over to me and unbuttoned my pants. I tensed as her cold fingers touched me and her mouth came to my cock. I closed my eyes and pretended it was Lily, and I came hard.

It was five in the afternoon when I woke up with Veronica in my arms. She was snoring quietly and I pushed her off of me. I hope she would wake up soon and leave. If I had awoken with Lily in my arms, just once, I would be the happiest man on earth. But twice would be cool.

I heard the door open silently, expecting it to be Sirius or Remus or Wormtail, but it was not. "James," the voice said pleasantly, "I came too…whoa." Lily's face appeared in the doorway and looked from me to Veronica. She looked kind of appalled and disgusted. She left the door wide open and walked away hastily. I threw on my jeans and went after her.

"Lily," I called, but she had disappeared.

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_A/N: Please review. _


	2. My Girl

James's POV

"James, darling, wake up. It's noon," my mother shook me lightly. I opened my eyes, the sun beaming through the large, picture windows. I woke up in my large bed with a silk duvet and down pillows. Sirius was snoring on the couch and I threw a pillow at him. My mother was next to me; her hair pinned up and smoke billowing around her head. "Your father and I are going to a Goblin Rights garden party this afternoon and afterwards we are going to the Randolph girl's coming out ball, so we won't be back home until late. You two will need to find something to do," Mrs. Potter said.

"Don't worry, Mrs. Potter, James and I will find something to do," Sirius said, "Some quidditch in the garden would be nice, perhaps." Sirius and I knew what we were going to do, and it did not include broomsticks.

"Goodbye darlings," my mother kissed Sirius and I lightly on the cheeks and left.

Once my mother was out of earshot, Sirius said, "School's out, the day's nice, let's get baked." I wondered what Lily was doing right now. Probably listening to some muggle records and making out with some handsome muggle football player. I didn't want to think about it.

For breakfast, the houselves brought us croissants and tea and crumpets, but Sirius and I opted for an alternative route. We rolled a joint from the finest weed that money could buy and then we went into town.

Lily's POV

Alice's house was huge, like all of the other houses in Godric's Hollow. It was made of soft, yellow stone and it was at least 15,000 square feet. The large mahogany door looked imposing, but I knocked on it three times. A house elf opened the door, and a separate one took my bags.

"Mistress Alice is upstairs, Madame," one of houselves said, bowing.

"Thank you," I said to the sad creature.

"Lily!" Alice shrieked from the top of the stairs. She ran down and jumped into my arms. "Ugh, let's get out of here and go into town."

"I just got here though," I said.

"I know, and I need to get out of here before you find the indoor pool and spa," Alice responded.

"There's a spa?" I asked incredulously. I always knew she was rich, so I should not have been surprised.

"Come on," she said. "There's this cool little coffee shop downtown and the sell the best weed there."

"Weed?" I asked.

"Stop being such a virgin, Lil, come on!" she took me the arm and we walked out the door.

"Look at this. My father brought it back from Saudi Arabia last week," Alice said. She held up an old, battered rug.

"What's so great about it?" I asked.

Her eyes twinkled, and then I saw as it hovered in mid-air. It was a Magic Carpet.

"That is bloody awesome!" I exclaimed. "Can we ride it?"

"Of course, silly, that's what I brought it out for!"

James's POV

"Hey, let's go to Derek's," Sirius said. I nodded in agreement. Derek's was this cool, little coffee shop in downtown Godric's Hollow. It was where all the rich stoners and Hogwarts students hung out.

We opened the door to the shop and were surrounded in the smell of hookah and weed. Someone was strumming a guitar and Sirius and I took a seat on some paisley floor pillows. "Hey man, try this," some stoned wizard said to us, holding out an extremely ornate bong. We both took a hit and the sweet tartness of the weed filled my throat. This stuff was good, but I couldn't imagine how bad muggle drugs would be. The door to the shop opened and two figures appeared in the doorway. I was not sure what had been in that bong, which caused me to hallucinate like this, but I saw a flash of red hair and Lily Evans was there. "Whoa dude, is that Evans?" I murmured.

"Hey! Evans! Over here!" I said, flailing my arms in the air.

"Jesus Christ, you're stoned!" Lily exclaimed.

"You want some," I handed her a nearby blunt.

"No. Thank you," she said. Alice was sitting on Sirius's lap, smoking a joint. I could not think quite clearly, but I was sure I was not hallucinating, I was sure Lily was here. The drugs were beginning to wear off a bit and I was embarrassed that I was stoned in front of squeaky-clean Lily Evans.

"Sorry about this, Evans," I said to her.

"Don't worry about it," she said, settling herself on a floor pillow next to me.

"You know, I think I like you better stoned, because then your head isn't so thick," she was sipping green tea and I really wanted to knock it over so it would spill on her white t-shirt and I would be able to see her breasts.

"I think I like me better stoned too," I said. "Whoa…look at that," I pointed in front of me. Alice was making out with Frank Longbottom. Lily laughed. .

Alice came over to us. "Lil, I'm going over to Frank's house," Alice said to Lily. "James- would it be all right if Lily came to your house?" Alice was smiling smugly and Lily looked furious. She was too polite to decline though.

"Sure, but I want to get out of here," Lily said.

"I'll take you home," I said to her. Suddenly, I wanted to do nothing more than get the fuck out of here and wait for my head to clear. I took Lily by the hand, wanting to get her away from the guys who started doing acid next to us. Her hand tensed and tightened, then relaxed in my own.

Lily and I left the store. My hand was still in hers and it felt nice. "Hey, I love this dress! Let's go in here," she walked towards the dress shop across the street from Derek's. The dress shop was a nice place, a place where my mother shopped. I felt really self-conscious going in there smelling like drugs, so I stayed in a corner.

"Isn't this pretty?" Lily asked me, admiring a short, white dress.

"Try it on," I said to her. I was aware that the shop owner's eyes were on me, the half-stoned boy. I grinned at her and waited for Lily to come out.

"Wow," I said to her. She looked so sexy. The dress was low-cut and backless and stopped a few inches above her knee. "You look really hot in it," I said.

"Thank you," she answered. She was examining herself in the mirror, but the she looked at the price tag and her face fell. "It's so expensive. I don't have enough money for it."

"Well, you two should be going then," the shop owner said hastily. I gave her a look which made her blush. Stupid old woman.

"Let's go, Evans," I said to Lily.

"Go fuck yourself," I said to the shop owner as we were leaving. Lily howled in laughter. "I love you James!" she exclaimed, hysterical. I grabbed her elbow lightly and drew her towards me. She looked up at me with her mesmerizing green eyes and my lips softly brushed against hers. When she didn't pull back, I kissed her again, this time deeper, more passionate.

After a few minutes she pulled away. Her eyes glistening, she said to me, "I think we should go back to your house."

Desire was building up inside of me and I said, "We have to find a fireplace. I can't wait any longer." We broke into someone's house, thankfully, they were not home and we flooed to my house.

When we arrived in the parlor, she fell back onto the couch and I threw myself on top of her, kissing her intensely and pulling her shirt over her head. I kissed her breasts and I became aware of how long I had been waiting for this, I could not believe it was actually happening. My hands found the spot between her legs, and pushing her thighs open, she let me enter her. She yelped in pain when I broke through the flesh, but I was too excited to care, too happy to finally be inside of her. Finally, I held her golden red hair in my hand and crushed her lips against mine. This was unreal. I came, but she didn't.

I held her in my arms and her body relaxed against mine. Lily was not like Roxanne or Veronica, she was something special, something real and I was the happiest man on earth.

"Let's go upstairs," I said quietly into her ear.

"Ok," she responded. I picked her up in my arms and told myself to remember to clean the blood off the couch before my parents got home.

Lily's POV

Two orgasms later, the sun was beginning to set and I was finally in James's arms. "I should go back to Alice's house now," I said to James, in between kisses.

"Don't, please," he pleaded.

I laughed. "I have to."

"Fine," he sighed. "I'll walk you home."

"Thank you."

"I can't find my clothes," I said.

"Here- take these," he threw me a pair of black watch plaid boxer shorts, the ones he had been wearing earlier. I had a pink camisole on and I grabbed one of his cable knit sweaters. The sweater smelt like James and I was glad to be wearing it.

At the top of the stairs, he kissed me lightly, but we stopped when we heard someone shriek, "James!"

"Oh no," he said. "Its my mother. Come on," he grabbed my hand and pulled me down the stairs.

"James! What is this mess on the couch!" said his mother, in a black evening gown and dripping with diamonds. Her husband, tall and handsome, like James, stood next to her.

"Oh no! It must have been one of the house elves," James was playing it cool. His father shot him a look, knowing this was bullshit.

"Those awful houselves!" Mrs. Potter exclaimed.

"Hello, I'm Mrs. Potter," she said to me as she kissed me twice on the cheek.

"I'm Lily Evans," I said.

"Why is your friend wearing boy's clothes?" Mrs. Potter turned to James.

He shrugged. "It's in fashion."

"Oh," she said.

"Why aren't you at the ball?" Harry asked his mother.

"You know Viola Randolph? Well she had an epilepsy attack and we all had to go home," Mrs. Potter said.

"Jesus Christ," James responded.

"That was a bust," his father said.

"Well, I have to be taking Lily home," James said to them.

"It was lovely to meet you, dear," Mrs. Potter said.

"You too," I answered.

"See you in a few minutes," James said to his parents.

Out the door, James draped his arm over my shoulders and I nuzzled my head into his shoulder. "That was nice," he said.

"Yes, it was," I agreed.

"Can I see you tomorrow?" he asked me.

"Maybe. But let's go on a real date," I told him.

"I don't know if I will be able to wait through dinner. I'm very impatient, you know," he laughed with me. Out-of-Hogwarts James was so much sweeter, nicer and cuter than in-Hogwarts James. His head was not so thick anymore and he had finally paid attention to me! I knew he would remain like this. I couldn't wait to tell Alice! I was prude no more!

We arrived at Alice's house and she was sitting in her window, brushing her hair. "Lily! Is that you?" she called.

"Ohmigod! Is that James! Woohooo!" she shrieked in delight. "Did you do him Lily Evans?"

"Shut up Alice!" Alice's father screamed from the library.

James turned to me. "I'll see you tomorrow," he said as he kissed me on the lips.

"Get your ass up here, you whore!" Alice shrieked.

"I told you to shut up, Alice! I'm trying to read my bloody book!" her father screamed again.

"Bye James," I said to him and I walked into the house.

"Hello, Mr. Aldridge," I said to Alice's father.

"Tell your friend to be quiet up there!" he said.

I ran up the stairs and burst into Alice's room.

James's POV

"I slept with him, Alice!" I heard Lily say from Alice's open window.

They both shrieked in delight and I smiled. Lily was finally my girl. I couldn't wait until the sun rose tomorrow.

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_A/N: Please review!_


	3. Summer's End

**Please review.

* * *

Lily's POV**

I awoke to an owl pecking my face. He had a package tied to his foot that was addressed to me. I untied the package and the owl flew away. There was no indication as to who the package was from, and I opened it carefully. Inside, was the beautiful white dress from the dress shop. I held it up in front of me to admire it and a note fell out.

_-Lily,_

_Have dinner with me tonight?_

_-J.P _

I gasped and held the note to my chest. I loved James Potter.

James's POV

My heart was pounding nervously as I knocked on the door of the Aldridge mansion. This was my first real date with Lily, actually with anyone.

The door opened and it was Lily. "Hello James," she said to me. She looked stunning in the white dress I bought for her. Her red hair was worn loosely around her shoulders and she smelled like lavender.

"Hi Lily," I said to her, kissing her on the cheek. "You look beautiful."

She beamed at me. "Thank you for the dress, James."

"You're welcome. It was quite an interesting ordeal going back into that store this morning.

She laughed. "Well, thank you."

"Where's Alice?" I asked her.

"Oh, yeah…" Lily said, "She went over to Frank Longbottom's house at noon today and hasn't been back since.

"So I guess they're getting along well?"

"Apparently," she said. "Where are we going tonight?"

"It's a surprise." She smiled at me. One genuine smile from her made my world a lot better.

Lily's POV

My feet were sinking into the soft, white sand and the sun was setting in an orange sky above the turquoise sea.

"Where are we James?" I asked him as he rolled up the magic carpet.

"San Casimiro. It's a little island off the coast of Spain."

I gasped and then laughed. "You mean we got to Spain from Wales in less than five minutes."

"It's called magic, love," he said.

He came up to me from behind and wrapped his arms around my waist. This was too perfect. "Mmm…" he said. "You know what I would love to do?"

"What?"

"Have sex on the beach."

I turned around and kissed him lightly on the lips. "That would be nice," I said to him. His eyes were gleaming. I smirked and said, "But after dinner."

"Fine," he moaned. "Come on."

James took me to this little restaurant where we sat outside on the terrace. We ate paella and drank sangria and I felt like we were the only two people in the world.

The sky was now a deep indigo, dotted with specks of white stars. Black clouds shifted across the full, white moon and I knew that somewhere, a big, black dog was running around with a werewolf. "No Remus tonight?" I asked James.

"No. I took a hiatus so I could be with you," he moved his hand over mine and smiled into my face.

"Thank you James. Honestly, this has been the most wonderful night of my life."

"Me too," he said, "me too."

James's POV

I finished the last of my sangria, the red wine making me hazy with desire for Lily. "How about that sex on the beach now?" I asked her.

She answered with a short kiss from across the table. I put some pesetas down on the table, definitely enough to cover the meal and I took Lily by the hand and we walked down the beach together. The night air was hot and crisp and I pulled Lily down onto the sand with me. I kissed her ardently and fervently pushed myself into her. Her face looked happy and calm and content and she was the only girl I could imagine myself being with right now.

Lily's POV

Sand was stuck in my hair and in between my toes. My body lay next to James and my heart beat in sync with his. He kissed me down my neck, sand getting in between his lips.

"James," I muttered.

"Yes?"

"This isn't so great," I said. "I'm really sandy."

"Yeah, I agree," he looked me in the eye and we both laughed. "Let's go home…we could shower off."

"Good idea," I said. We both got back on the magic carpet and I relaxed into his lap as we flew through the cool, night sky.

James's POV

"Shh…be very quiet so we don't wake my parents," I said to Lily as we crept down the dark foyer in my palatial home. It was past midnight and I was too happy to be tired. We walked past Sirius snoring loudly in the guest bedroom and we made it to my room in the east wing of the house. I had the whole wing to myself and it had its own master bedroom and bath.

With my wand, I lit a lamp in my room and began undressing Lily in the dim light. She was not at all fat, but she did have baby fat that gathered around her hips which I found so sexy. Her breasts were not large, but not tiny either. I loved how she was not like the other girls I had been with. She was not stick thin with huge breasts and long legs. She was normal, a regular girl, and I had never been with one before.

The plainness of her body amazed me, only making me more turned on. Her face was very pretty; her eyes were the focal point though. They were striking green, like emeralds and when I looked into them deeply, I could see my whole life with Lily in her eyes. Her eyes were what I looked into for comfort or for reassurance.

The dim light accentuated every curve and crevice of Lily's body, making it look real and gruesome. When I made love to her, something went off in my body, making me shudder with passion.

Lily was a Diana, the Roman goddess of the moon. She came more alive for me than ever when the moon shone brighter and fuller and the stars feasted in the night sky. She was my own personal moon goddess, my own Diana. That night I became a pagan, worshipping Lily.

When we were done, I rolled off of her and took her by the hand, picking her up from the bed. We walked out onto the balcony, our naked bodies starkly white in the moonlight, and looked past the mansions, but out to the sea. Godric's Hollow was a small island off the coast of northern Wales and was split into two sides- the Muggle side and the Wizarding side. The Muggle side was a very small part of the island, but they could not see the Wizarding side. Hundreds of years ago, Godric's Hollow was the center for muggle hunting.

Lily wrapped her arms around my shoulders and for the first time in years, I felt content.

For the next six weeks, Lily and I spent lazy summer days lounging by my pool and making love. Being with Lily was easy. She was fun and laid back, unlike how she was at school. It seemed that the summer sun created a whole new Lily, one for me to love. It seemed that the summer would go on forever, just to cater the affair of two adolescents. I wondered if it would ever end, but for now, I just wanted to be with her while the scent of honeysuckle was still strong and .

Other summer romances were in bloom as well. Nobody had seen Alice or Frank Longbottom for days, and when we did, they were wrapped around each other, snogging. Sirius has been pursuing Emmeline Vance, my neighbor. Emmeline was eighteen, two years older than Sirius, but after one week, she had finally fallen head over heels for him. Sirius has now declared he is only dating older.

"Lily," I said to her one night over dinner. "How would you like to go to Egypt on Saturday? We could see the pyramids."

Her face fell as she said, "James, you know I have to go home tomorrow."

"You don't have to go home, Lily. You could stay at my house," I told her. I didn't want her to go; I didn't want to risk losing her as she is.

"James, I do have to go home. I haven't seen my parents for awhile," I said. He didn't respond. "But I will see you in two weeks, when school starts."

"I will be counting down the minutes," I tried to manage a small smile.

"Write to me, ok?" she asked, kissing me lightly on the lips.

"I promise," I said. Lily's leaving marked the end of the best summer that I have ever had.


	4. Hogwarts

**Enjoy reading and please review!**

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"Hi Lily," James said, putting his arm around Lily's waist and kissing her lightly on the lips. Hogwarts students turned to stare at this good looking couple who had been eagerly awaited to go out. Boys looked at James with resentment and suddenly Lily was every girl's new enemy.

"Hey James," Lily said, beaming at her boyfriend. Her green eyes were only for him. After two weeks of letters back and forth, she was enthralled to see him today. She wondered if they could get a compartment all alone on the train…and you know.

"Lily, can I talk to you?" James said with a sad smile as he gestured towards a bench. A pit formed in Lily's stomach. She didn't know if it was nerves or intuition.

The couple sat down and James began talking. "Lily, this summer was fun, but I think we should stop seeing each other."

"Stop…?" Lily said, shocked, her pretty mouth agape. "What do you mean?"

"I want to break up, Lily, I'm sorry," James said. It was hard for him to do; Lily was the only girl he had ever taken seriously.

Lily gulped and looked at him with cold eyes. "This is such a typical James Potter move," she said scathingly. "You still are a thick headed prat! I should have expected it." Lily turned her back to him and disappeared into the crowd.

Lily's POV

"Hi Lily!" Sirius greeted me brightly. I ignored him and he looked hurt. All I wanted to do was throw up. I was not going to cry, I promised myself that. James had screwed me over, but it was stupid on my part. I should not have expected this relationship to last long. James was a loser. I couldn't see why I ever fell for him. It was the stupidest thing I had done in a long time.

Frank Longbottom was fervently kissing Alice in front of the train, holding her waist and looking into her eyes with love and longing, like James once had looked into mine. They broke apart, but Frank remained holding her. I approached them with a hurting heart. I wished James and I could just go back to normal, that this had never happened. I wish he could take me to Egypt now, to see the Valley of the Kings with him. We would wear large brimmed hats to shield us from the sun and long, loose tunics like the Egyptian nomads wore. The best part would be that he would love me again, kissing me with a huge smile on his face and not caring if anyone saw. The summer was over, and my summer romance was buried like the ancient pharaohs that I would never see.

"Hey Lil!" Alice said excitedly, throwing her arms around my neck and hugging me.

"Hi Lily," Frank said. "Excited for your sixth year at Hogwarts?"

"Yes," I lied. I really wasn't though. I didn't want to live at Hogwarts, seeing James every day. "What are you doing this year?" I asked him. Frank was out of Hogwarts now; last year was his seventh year.

"I have an internship at the ministry," he said modestly.

"Wow! Congratulations!" I feigned excitement, while trying to hold back tears.

"Thank you," Frank said.

"It's so exciting…isn't it!" Alice exclaimed with pride.

"Yes," I said with a choke in my voice, "Very exciting."

"Where's James?" Alice said to me, looking around. I suddenly burst into tears, oblivious to the stares of passerby's and despite the promise I had made to myself. But I couldn't stop them, no matter how hard I tried, they wouldn't stop.

Alice rushed me into a corner and asked what happened. A look of concern and worry passed over her face. I told her, and she embraced me in a tight hug while I cried into her shoulder.

"Alice…sob…why did I…sob…fall for him?"

"Oh Lil, your first love always hurts," Alice consoled me.

"Oh how would you know! You open your legs for every passerby and more!" I said hastily, looking at her with hating eyes.

She gasped and looked at me coldly, tears filling her own eyes. I didn't apologize, but she ran away too fast for me to have a chance. I don't know why I said that to her. I hit a nerve, but I had to take my anger out on someone.

And there I was. Crying alone in King's Cross Station, with no friends and a heart like a totaled car. My black eyeliner ran onto the sleeve of my white peasant blouse as I wiped my tearing eyes, leaving an ugly stain. Even worse, as Alice ran away, she had knocked over my trunk and now its contents were spilled all across the grimy cobblestones. I bent down, my knees resting against the cold, hard stone and began to pick up my belongings. My throat hurt each time I sobbed, at an average of forty-five times per minute.

Just as I thought nothing could get any worse, a warm hand covered my own. It was a boy's hand, smooth with clean fingernails. The hand pulled me up off the ground and I was eye level with him. He was in my year, sixth year, and a prefect for Slytherin. I searched my head for his name, but I couldn't find it.

"Tears aren't a very becoming look for you," he said with a smile, wiping my eyes with his fine linen handkerchief. He had honey blond hair that fell above his blue eyes and his mouth was like a row of aspirin which were cut down and shaped into teeth, straight and perfect.

"Thank you," I said to him, surprised at his kindness.

"Lily…right? I'm Evan. Evan Rosier," he said to me. With a flick of his wand, all of my belongings were suddenly packed neatly into my trunk once again.

"Thank you," I said to him, "…I had forgotten the spell."

"It's no problem, but we really should get on the train. It's about to leave," he picked up my trunk and walked with me towards the prefect's compartment.

James's POV

I'm not going to say I didn't know why I did it, because I do. Lily was fun, but I felt different with her than I did with any other girl, and that scared me. I knew these feelings would only increase the longer I stayed with her and it was just too much for my teenage heart to handle. I knew it hurt her, but I couldn't have expected anything different. Whenever I looked into her green eyes, I saw my whole future flash before me, as a married man, a father, and I didn't really want that. I just wanted to stay a bachelor forever, smoking pot with Sirius and sleeping with random girls. That is how I wanted my future, living as a rich playboy, not with one and only woman for the rest of my life. I couldn't see how my father lived with my mother, or vice versa.

I should have felt free. I should have been smiling at pretty girls, making them blush and giggle. I should have been flirting with the fourth years, or talking with Sirius and Remus about who we would like to have this year. But I wasn't. I was near to bereaved, but I didn't let it show, not once. I wouldn't get back with Lily, I wanted to show everyone that I was more successful as a single man, I didn't need one woman to keep me happy when I could have as many as I wanted at the snap of my fingers. Instead, I was a sad, sorry sight. I was completely aloof, my cheek pressed against the train window, making a strange imprint on the foggy glass.

I was thinking about that one night when Lily and I went to Spain, on our first real date, and had that really awful sex on the beach. We were both covered head to toe in sand and my hands kept slipping in the sand as I tried to keep myself balanced above her. I began to laugh at this memory, causing Sirius and Remus and Peter to stare at me.

"You all right, mate?" Sirius asked, looking up from a game of exploding snap he was playing with Peter.

I nodded my head, snapping out of my trance. "Has anyone seen Lily recently?"

"Yes, I just saw her in the prefects' cabin," Remus said, looking up from his book. "She was chatting a lot with Evan Rosier."

"Evan Rosier! The Slytherin?" Sirius exclaimed. I just moaned, but part of me felt better; she had moved on, and I wouldn't have to worry about her clinging to me or making a scene in the corridors.

Lily's POV

I didn't care what people said. Evan Rosier was really, a charming bloke. He made me smile and for the first time in hours, forget about James, just for a little bit. He cheered me up and bought me odd candies when the cart came by, which were, surprisingly good. He told me stories; about how he had rode elephants in Africa one summer, and about once when he was eight, he was playing with his mother's wand and he accidentally gave himself a fin where his legs should be and had to spend two weeks in St. Mungo's. He told me all about his childhood, and his house in Scotland, and he was equally as interested in hearing about me.

He was not like James, not at all. First of all, he was better mannered and he took his studies seriously. He didn't care for quidditch, and from what I gathered, he was not a big partier. He didn't have the emotional depths that James did, and he was not as fast as James. I could imagine myself settling down with a guy like Evan in a few years, living a quiet life in the English countryside. I couldn't see James and I going anywhere besides him and Sirius in Azkaban, for some stupid charge like public urination and me at home with his baby, living in a small, cheap flat in London.

"Excuse me, Lily, I will be a moment," Evan said as he stood up and headed for the restroom. My first thought was to find Alice and tell her about Evan. But then I remembered what I did to her. I cursed myself. I was such an idiot, such a bad friend. I wanted to cry, I felt the tears welling up inside me, but I couldn't cry anymore, it would only make me weaker.

James's POV

Instead of the usual call, "First year's! Come with me!" issued by McGonagall, a different tune rang out this year. As we got off the Hogwarts Express, we gathered around the castle, we were not allowed to be let in. My first thoughts were "Where is Lili? Is she safe?" I looked around for her frantically, but then I remembered she was no longer mine. No longer mine to protect, to look after, to kiss and to compliment…shit, I was getting mushy. At least I hadn't said it aloud.

"I heard it's a Death Eater attack," Remus whispered to Sirius and Peter and I.

"What's a Death Eater?" Peter asked. I knew what they were. I had heard my parents talking about them in hushed, worried whispers. I didn't see what the big deal was. They were just some sorry cult that would probably commit mass suicide in a few months.

"Bloody hell. I bet Regulus had something to do with this," Sirius muttered.

"Shh…shh…Dumbledore's talking," Remus said. The whole school went silent to listen to the headmaster.

"I am sorry for this inconvenience," he started, "But we have had a bit of trouble inside the castle. Don't worry; it's all cleared up now. Welcome back, everybody." I saw Bellatrix Lestrange and Snape and friends exchanging smug glances and I shuddered.

"Is it safe to go in?" I heard someone whisper behind me.

"I'm not sure," someone whispered in response. I groaned. I just wanted to get inside and sleep. I was exhausted. I didn't care about dinner; I didn't care about jokingly flirting with the first year girls like the marauders usually did, or the third years, teasing them about the breasts they grew over the summer. I just wanted to curl up in a ball and go to sleep. I didn't know why, but I felt like I was kicked hard in the stomach.

"Now, you may all enter the castle," Dumbledore announced. No one could ignore the look of worry still evident across his face.

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_A/N: Please review!_


	5. Mudbloods Beware

**Lily's POV**

Evan had remained beside me once we got off the train. He was so kind, with all his consoling words, checking every ten minutes if I was alright and trying to take my mind off James. But as we stood outside in the brisk night air, with a miasma of worry and fear, Evan began to change. He became quiet, anxious and began looking around. "Excuse me, Lily. There is something I must give someone over there. I will see you at the feast," he said to me, very kindly.

"Alright Evan," my voice was shaky; "I will see you later."

"Are you sure you are fine?" he asked me with a smile, his hand upon my shoulder. I nodded my head. "Because if you're not, you know, I can just stay here with you and give it to him later, it won't be a problem."

"Evan," I said sincerely, "Please don't worry about me. I am perfectly fine. As good as new." We laughed together. "Go. I will see you later." And he was off.

Once Dumbledore had allowed us to enter the castle, I spotted Alice and ran over to her, waiting for a horseless carriage to go up to the school. "Lily!" she said as she saw me, a warm smile on her face. I ran up to her and hugged her and she looked at me and said, "Don't worry about it, it's all forgiven. I know it was a sensitive time and I don't blame you. I don't take what you said to heart because I know that you love me and you are my best friend. Now, Lily, I will be here for you whenever you are upset, just as long as you don't call me a slut, ok?" I nodded my head positively with a big smile on my face. One thing I could always count on was Alice being my friend.

"What do you think happened?" I asked her, tilting my head towards the great castle.

"No idea," Alice said, looking around, "I hope nothing bad."

"Yeah me too," I replied, as we stepped onto one of the carriages with four seventh year Ravenclaws who were having a lengthy conversation about the properties of moonstone when used in a potion. Alice had a somewhat worried, somewhat blissful look on her face. There was something she wasn't telling me.

It seemed that everyone was especially quiet on this night. Maybe all of them, like me, had a terrible feeling in their stomach that something bad would happen. I tried to take my mind off of it, reassuring myself that everything was fine, nothing bad would happen.

"Lily," Alice, a smile on her face, said slowly, "I need to tell you something."

"Yes?"

"Frank's asked me to marry him," Alice was clearly in joy. Her whole face lit up once she shared her news.

I grabbed her hands, delighted for her. "Alice! That's so wonderful! Congratulations!"

"Thanks," she was beaming, "Oh, Lil, we're so in love with each other. It's just so wonderful. I think I am the happiest girl in the world." And she very possibly was.

"But there's one thing," I started. She crooked her head, inviting me to continue. "Aren't you both a bit young? I mean, you're only in your sixth year at Hogwarts and he's eighteen."

She laughed her soft, bubbly laugh. Her eyes bright, she replied, "Oh, I know that. We already went over it. We decided that we would marry once I was out of Hogwarts, and if I was out of Hogwarts before he had a real job, we would wait until then."

"Good," I breathed a sigh of relief, "You see, you were thinking rationally." Alice burst into laughter at me and I joined in. We were in hysterics, keeling over with stomach aches from our uncontrollable giggling. The Ravenclaws stared at us with mixed annoyance and confusion, but we didn't stop until we were seated at the long trestle tables in the Great Hall and Dumbledore had begun his speech.

I was not paying attention to him, my mind was elsewhere: on Alice and Frank's engagement, on James, on Evan, on what could have gone on to prevent us from entering the castle. My mind was in turmoil—there were so many significant events and I was too tired to organize them in perfect order as I usually could. I took a sip of pumpkin juice and just as I put it down, the hall fell silent. Dumbledore had stopped his speech, a look of rage and alarm clearly displayed on his face. All the student's gazes were peeled to the doorway. I dared not make a movement, or a sound.

An epidemic of terror swept throughout the Great Hall, infecting every student to the point where the seventh year boys were nearly reduced to tears, but still able to remain composed. Hooded figures, in black costume, faces masked swept throughout the room, aligning themselves in single file between each house table. For a moment, everything was still, everything was paralyzed. The lights began to flicker, and people began to scream. The hooded figures were chanting something inaudible amongst the noise and then the lights went completely out. The room turned as dark as the inside of my eyelids. Beams of colored light shot throughout the blackness and the screams started again.

Then everything was silent again. Feet shuffled amongst the stone floor and the lights turned back on. The quiet was broken by a blood curdling scream. The teachers were all stooped over, stupefied. Five muggle-born first years lay dead on the floor. A large, green ghastly symbol hung like trepidation above the hall. "Mudbloods Beware!" was hanging in fog beneath the green symbol. Hogwarts went into bedlam and people began running in all directions; the older students trying to take control by reviving the teachers, or moving the dead, or shuffling the younger students back to their dormitories. I, however, could not bring myself to move. I stared blankly at the scene and knew things would never be right again. I sunk down to the floor in a trance.

I felt a pair of arms, strong arms, beneath me, picking me up and carrying me as if I was a young child. Something cold and silvery covered my body and I had the slightest inclination that I was invisible. The arms held me tightly, the legs were running fast towards the front doors of the castle. More of the dark figures flooded the halls, blocking staircases and doorways, hexing or cursing an unfortunate passerby. The front doors were blocked and my carrier began to pick up speed, racing through a crowded hall full of Hufflepuffs trying to get back to their house. We were delving deeper and deeper into the castle, and in the pit of my stomach lurked a dreadful feeling that I may never see the light of day again.

The crowd began to disperse and the hallway became emptier with each step we took. It was almost barren now, nearly no lights were on and my carrier was beginning to get tired. He leaned against a wall, behind a statue, still holding me in his arms. I was too scared to turn my head to see who it was. In fact, I don't even know if I was able to get my neck to move the slightest motion. I was still paralyzed with fear. He caught his breath, and turned to face the statue, "Murtlap!" in a gasp, and the statue moved its length to the left and a doorway began to form in the stone wall. He dashed through it quickly, and once we were at the other side, he pointed his wand and muttered a spell and the door closed.

We were running down a narrow hallway now, there were no lights; it was nearly pitch black save the few small windows which let the moonlight in. The hallway was wet and cold and smelled faintly of mold and age. I heard bats crying from the low ceiling above our heads and I remained motionless.

Soon we emerged into the moonlight. I took a deep breath, thankful to be outside and away from the terror inside Hogwarts. I looked around, at the tall trees, black in the night, with vines and rocks amongst them. My savior sat me down on a flat rock and removed the cold, silvery thing from my body and stuffed it into his pocket. I looked up at him, but his head was turned the other way in concentration, as if listening for something. The dark of the night shadowed his face and I was unable to tell who he was. I sat there, shaking and he said, suddenly, "Thank god we escaped alive." I recognized the voice. I would have anywhere. It was James.

He looked to me for a response. I merely moaned and nodded, all my body would allow me to do. His face wore an expression of concern and he came over to me and held me at arms length, hands on my shoulders. "Are you okay, Lily? How do you feel?" he asked me.

"Sc...sc...scared," I finally mustered, through my chattering teeth. He held me to him, embracing me close and comforting me. He conjured a cup and tilted his wand into it; a clear, amber liquid flowing out. He handed it to me and instructed me to drink. "What is it?" I asked.

"Brandy," he answered, "It will make you feel better, I promise." I lifted the cup to my lips, taking a small sip of the strong liquid. I felt it travel through my body, leaving a trail of warmness where it went, ending in my stomach. He was right. It calmed me down and I was able to talk now.

"Who were those—those dark, hooded figures?" I asked him.

A dark look came across his face and he answered solemnly, "They call themselves Deatheaters. They are Voldemort's followers—a horrible lot they are too, nearly all of them came from Slytherin. They are after anyone whose blood is not considered "pure," even those who are purebloods but are what they call "blood traitors," which are people who hang around Muggleborns or defy Voldemort."

"So I would have been a target?"

"Probably," he said. "Everyone killed tonight was Muggleborn. I had to get you out of there."

"Thank you, James. It was very brave of you," I told him, from the bottom of my heart.

He nodded in thanks and ran his hand through the back of his hear, messing it up. I laughed at him and he smirked. "We have to get out of here—as far away as we can from the castle, and very remote place, too. If Hogwarts was attacked, I have no idea what hell is going on in the rest of the country right now. If Hogwarts is unsafe, I doubt anywhere in the world is safe," he turned away and faced the castle, "_Accio broom_!"

"Shouldn't we go back and fight them?"

He thought for a moment, pondering the idea. An expression of gallantry lit up his face as he thought, and I nearly laughed at him again. It was followed by a glance towards me and then a flicker of concern. "No," he said finally, "Now is not the time. We will though, one day. I would like nothing more than to shove those Deatheater's wands up their arses."

"But it's the right thing to do, James; we have to stand up for what is good!" I gasped, exasperated, my wand at the ready if we decided to run any moment and join in combat.

"I know, and I couldn't agree with you more, but did you see what they did to our teachers tonight?" he was wearing a horrified expression. I keeled over at the thought of it and thought maybe he was right. "One, we are only sixth years—we have not had proper training; two, we don't know what we are up against—we have not fought these people before and they are all twice our age; and three, we don't even know if there is anyone left at the castle. We could risk being found by them, and you, you…" He couldn't bring himself to say it but I knew he was thinking along the lines of death.

"I actually assume Dumbledore would form some sort of association against them," he continued. "That's something he would do. We'd be among the first to join, if we were of age."

"Yeah," I sighed in agreement, "We have a few more months."

James's broomstick came shooting through the forest, landing with a soft "plop" on the ground beside him. "We need to find our way out of the forest," he said as he laid his wand flat on the ground, "Point me." And sure enough, the wand moved in a full circle, paused, and then spun again to signify the direction.

"This way," James said to me, "Hop on." His broom was hovering in midair, he on top of it, pulling me up. I sat behind him and he instructed me to hold on tightly once we were going. "Oh wait," he said, "I almost forgot." He shoved his hand into his pocket and pulled out a transparent, silvery cloth. He wrapped it around us and I recognized it was the same thing that was covering me before.

"What is this James? This silver fabric?"

"It's an Invisibility Cloak—whoever is wearing it is completely invisible. Well, at least with mine. Some of the cheaper ones don't make you completely invisible; you can still see a faint, glimmering outline of the coat. Mine is old though, been in the family for ages, and nobody has been able to see anything glimmering from it when worn. I was actually covering you with it when we were running through the castle."

"Oh," I replied, as there was really nothing else to say.

He shrugged. "It's not like they would have recognized you as a Muggleborn anyways—it's not like you had it written on your forehead or anything. I guess it's just better to be safe than sorry."

"Better to be safe than sorry," I repeated.

"You ready, Lily?" he asked me, preparing to push his feet off the grown.

I tightened my grip around his waist and nodded. We were up in the air now, flying over the dark and puffy treetops of the Black Forest. I glanced behind me, at the expanse of forest that continued for miles on end. It was larger than I had thought. If someone had gotten lost in the center of it, there would most likely be no way to get out. I shuddered. The forest began to wane, the trees becoming further and further apart. We flew over the lake, and over the top of the castle. Students were fleeing as best they could from the castle grounds—whoever was lucky enough to sneak out, just as James and I did. We would be safe, I hoped.

Soon we were well into the hills of Scotland, and Hogwarts was fading away into the night sky. My eyelids felt heavy with fatigue, and I rested my head on James's shoulder and fell asleep.

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	6. Flour Disaster

**Lily's POV**

My head rested upon James's shoulder, just like a pillow. He didn't seem to mind. He rubbed one of my hands around his waist; his hand, probably like mine as well, was ice from the cold night air. My mind slipped into a half-dreaming state and I released myself from my fear, knowing full well that when I woke, it would still linger.

The day I met Alice was warm, but overcast, common in a London summer. I had found my way into Diagon Alley, unaccompanied and alone. I was surrounded by odd folk, who I knew to be witches and wizards, just as I was, but I was new to this world and scared of it. I approached one witch with a baby on her hip, and deciding she looked friendly enough, I asked her for help. She pointed me to the bank, which she called Gringott's, and I shuffled my way through the crowd, keeping my eyes peeled to the Romanesque structure. I scurried up the step, my gaze downcast and pushed open the heavy oak door. I was greeted by a cool air, refuge from the muggy day, and was taken aback by the odd little creatures working as the bank tellers. My t-shirt and shorts stuck to my skin from sweat, and I tugged them away from my body so they hung loosely and awkwardly around me. Tightly clenched in my sweaty palm was the stack of bills my parents had given me this morning and I took my place in the queue. I was nearly shaking from nerves while I waited my turn and my teeth were chattering despite the mild air temperature. I heard people come into line behind me, and relaxed slightly as I eavesdropped on their conversation.

"Ok father, here is the list of the things I am going to get for school," a female voice said, and Lily guessed the girl was not much older than she was.  
"Well, sweetest, we will see about that," a man's voice responded.

"Well daddy, its not that much stuff," the girl persisted, "and plus, mummy said it was okay."

The man sighed, and his daughter continued. "Ok first we are going to go to Madame Malkin's and I will get the required Hogwarts school robes, in addition to this really pretty pink robe I saw in the catalogue, and then we will go to Olivander's and get me a wand, and then I want a cauldron, and a really, really pretty owl, and maybe even a kitten! YES! Father, I want a kitten!! It will be fluffy and white and have big blue eyes! And then we will get me some phoenix quills…and some peacock ones too maybe…ooohhh! And maybe a pink puffy one too, that would be quite nice," she sighed, "Oh—and I will need all my books as well, new ones, of course. And then maybe while we're at the bookstore, I can get some more books too, you know ones that aren't required for school."

"Alice you don't read," her father reminded her. Lily stifled a laugh.

"Oh, yeah, you're right," she said sadly, "Oh well. Oh! I remember what else I wanted at the bookstore—some magazines, you know, Young Witch and stuff like that."

"Oh, those trashy teen magazines?" her father groaned, "What do I care, it appears that they've already had enough of an influence on you." The girl laughed a high and bubbly laugh and her father joined in for a moment, but just a moment.

I mustered up all of my courage and turned around. I faced the girl, and in a small meek voice, I swallowed and said, "Are you going to Hogwarts too?" My voice cracked nervously and after I finished, I felt my cheeks burning red and I just wanted to climb into a hole and hide.

The girl broke into a wide, warm smile and said, "Yes, is this your first year too?"

I relaxed in her presence and nodded my head yes. I was not so scared anymore, and the butterflies in my stomach receded.

"I'm Alice Aldridge," she told me. Her bright brown eyes were the friendliest I had ever seen.

"I'm Lily Evans," I responded.

"Are you all alone?" she asked with a hint of concern in her honeyed voice.

I stammered, not sure how to answer, and I just came out with the truth. "Well my parents couldn't come because they aren't witches and wizards," I said in a breath.

"Oh, cool! You could come around with me and my father and I will help you out with everything you will need," she said brightly.

"Thank you," I managed a smile. I knew she would be my best friend.

"Lily," a familiar voice was crooning, "Lily, wake up."

**James's POV**

We had arrived at Godric's Hollow just at the crack of dawn. Everything was vacant, deserted. As most people were usually asleep at that time, there was no indication whether my neighbors had fled or were soundly asleep in their mansions. I landed gently on the yielding ground, wet with morning dew. There was a sweet smell in the air—one of flowers on the brink of blooming again once the sun hits their petals mixed in with the scent of a late summer morning. I threw my broomstick aside, not bothering to put it away. Removing the invisibility cloak from Lily and myself, I draped it over my arm and carried her upstairs. All was quiet—not a sound throughout the house. I didn't bother walking past my parent's bedroom to see if they were home, all I could focus on was getting Lily in bed.

She was dead asleep, as still as a rock. We reached my bedroom and I laid her down on my bed. I went to my wardrobe and got out a pair of my pajamas. Slowly, softly, as to not wake her, I pulled her tee up over her head, preparing to put the pajama shirt on. I was stopped by the sight of her bare chest—her flat stomach and breasts. I longed to touch them. Refrain yourself, I told myself, this is not your's anymore. James, you were the one who broke up with her, you don't deserve this, a little voice in the back of my head scolded me. I pulled the pajama shirt over her head and she stirred, making a small little noise and lifting up her head. I didn't move. She yawned and put her head back down onto the pillow, once again entering her deep sleep. I unbuttoned her jeans, pulling them off her pale legs as gently as I was able. As to not be tempted, I immediately dressed her in the pajama pants. I tucked her under my covers, fluffing up the pillows and making sure she was comfortable. I brushed a loose strand of hair away from her face and she cuddled into the pillow.

I pointed my wand at each heavy, velvet curtain and they closed with a swift sound. I didn't want her to be awoken by the approaching morning light. She needed her rest. It had been a rough past twenty-four hours. I dressed in pajamas and took an extra blanket and pillow from my closet. I pushed clothes and books and other things off my couch to make room. The couch was too short and I was not able to stretch out my legs, so I did a stretching charm on the couch, while I was at it, I decided to widen it as well so it was now the size of a double bed. I curled up with the blanket, and the moment my head hit the pillow, I was out.

Lily was laughing. The sound filled my ears and I woke up pleasantly. I gazed over at her, in my bed and noticed that she was asleep. She was laughing in her sleep. I chuckled at the sight and stretched my arms above my head. I could see daylight peaking through the cracks in the curtains. I glanced at my watch. It was nearly 9:30 in the morning. I pulled myself out of bed, and walked over towards Lily, still giggling softly, and shook her awake gently. She tossed her head from side to side, and fluttered her eyelids. "Lily," I said, "Lily, wake up." Her great green eyes slowly opened, and as she looked up at me, her mouth curved in what I thought would be a 'good-morning-James- I'm-happy-to-see-you smile, I was wrong. Her pretty little mouth curved into a frown and she groaned.

"Oh, it's you," she said, pushing the blankets aside and standing up. She yawned widely, lifting her slender arms above her head. She brushed her hair out of her eyes and picked up her wand, opening all of the curtains. A natural light filled the room and everything seemed less gloomy considering the circumstances.

"Good morning, Lily," I said, as brightly as I could.

"Morning, James," she replied groggily. I remembered she wasn't a morning person.

"I'm just going to go downstairs and get the paper—meet me downstairs for breakfast?"

"Sure," she yawned again, rubbing her eyes.

I exited the room, walking past my parent's room, I opened the door. No sign of them being here. Of course it wasn't surprising they weren't—I knew they traveled a lot while I was at Hogwarts. They could very well have been fleeing from Lord Voldemort and his followers or even relaxing on the white sand beaches of the Greek Isles. Either was entirely plausible.

I walked down the stairs and into the marble floored foyer, my bare feet walking against the cool stone. I stepped outside, where the paper waited for me at the doorstep. I picked up the Daily Prophet, closing the door behind me. I walked over to the kitchen, opening the paper while I walked and expected the Hogwarts attack to be headline news. It wasn't. It was not even on the front page. I sat down at the kitchen table and skimmed the entire newspaper to see if there was anything at all about last night. Lily walked into the kitchen and put up a pot of tea on the stove. "Come here," he beckoned her, "Look through the Prophet—there's nothing about the attack. They don't even mention it."

"That's odd," she said as she picked up the newspaper and skimmed it a bit more thoroughly than he did. "You're right. Nothing at all. That is the strangest thing."

"I agree. I think there's just something very odd about all of this."

"Yeah I know," she yawned again, "What's for breakfast?"

I had no idea how to cook. I didn't even know where we kept the food in the house. All I did was call in the servant, but there were no servants here today. Actually, there was nobody besides me and Lily in this huge house. I shrugged at her, a guilty look on my face.

"Don't tell me you don't know how to cook?!" she snapped, throwing her hair back into a ponytail.

"It get's worse."

"Oh no," she groaned.

"Erm…well I'm not even sure where we keep the food." She looked at me in disbelief and just laughed.

"You're such a fool, James," she said almost affectionately, "You're a stupid, fumbling, foolish buffoon." She busied herself looking through the many cabinets in the kitchen, pulling out pots and pans and mixing bowls and wooden spoons as she went along. There was a door where the cabinetry ended and she opened it. I don't believe I had ever seen this room before. It was nearly as big as my dorm room in the Gryffindor tower and was filled to the brim with food. "Ah ha!" Lily clasped her hands together with excitement. The teapot began to boil and she tossed me a box of English breakfast tea. "Do you think you are capable enough to make us two cups of tea?"

I smirked and said, "I think I'll be able to handle it, Miss Evans." She laughed her buttery laugh and threw a bag of flour at me. I caught it right before it hit the floor, avoiding a wicked mess.

"Put that on the counter near the stove," she instructed me, and I obeyed. Gratefully, I noticed that she had already pulled out the mugs and I picked up the tea kettle and poured water into both of the cups.

"Do you take your tea with sugar or milk or anything?" I called out to her.

"Just two spoonfuls of sugar," she replied.

"Erm…did you happen to find the sugar?"

"Yes, it's right in here."

He walked over to the pantry to find her standing on a footstool, shuffling around the top shelf. "The sugar is right over there, next to that big bag of sweet potatoes," she pointed me in the direction, and as I walked past, I accidentally knocked over the stool and she fell back into the shelves first, and then bounced off, right into my arms. Our gazes locked and her arms were wrapped around my neck as I supported her. Items began to fall from the shelf she knocked into but we didn't move. There was a slight whipping sound through the air, as if something heavy was falling. I looked up to see what it was, and right then, a big bag of flour broke on top of our heads, spilling its contents all over us and covering everything in sight with the white powder. Lily fell into me, laughing and we tumbled to the floor, unable to control ourselves standing up.

We blew the flour out our mouths, creating little white puffs of flour that looked like exhaled smoke. I lifted off my tee shirt, wiping off Lily's face with the clean side and then my own. I threw it off to the side and Lily and I looked at each other, just staring. Her green eyes were contrasted with the stark white flour on her face, and combined with her red lips; her face looked like a Christmas present. I laughed to myself and she wanted to know what I was laughing about. "Nothing," I told her, as I reached over to the side of her face and wiped off the remaining flour. My hand lingered there, slowly pulling her face towards mine. I could feel her breaths soft on my upper lip and nobody said a word. Our lips had just touched, for the slightest moment, faintly brushing against each other. Lily quickly turned her head away and said, through laughter, "I think we should get this cleaned up."

"Did you happen to find a sponge or rags on you're journey through the cabinets?" I asked, disappointed that she had turned away. Well, what could I expect. I had really hurt her.

"No, stupid. We _can _use magic, you know." A pile of flour fell down from the top of the shelf straight into my open mouth. I began coughing furious clouds of white powder and couldn't breathe. Lily pointed her wand at me and said "_anapneo!"_ and with a swish and a flick I could breathe again. I thanked her and we were both reduced to laughter again.

_"Evanesco!"_ Lily said, and all the flour was gone, leaving us looking like two snowmen who had wandered indoors. "We should go wash up," she suggested, "and then maybe we could give breakfast a try."

"Good idea."

**Lily's POV**

After this morning's events, I was more than glad to be in the shower. I let the water run down my body, washing away all the flour. And then there was James. There were at least two times this morning when it seemed as if we were about to kiss. I wonder if we would have if the bag of flour hadn't of fallen. I wasn't thinking clearly then. And then, as we were sitting on the floor, covered in flour, our lips less than half an inch away and slowly getting closer, I was thinking that this was maybe a bad idea. I could not let him off the hook so easily. He had hurt me, and there was no reason that I should sit back and take that from him. I was not a pushover. I was not his toy.

But I did note the way that he had shown such valiance last night during the rescue and the kindness he had shown me in the forest and how he slept on the couch last night, letting me have the bed. I was pretty sure that he had not tried to do anything with me while he dressed me in pajamas. It was almost as if he was human again, not the thickheaded, womanizing, bullying James he was at Hogwarts. What point was he trying to prove, I wondered. I honestly didn't think anyone at Hogwarts would care what the high and mighty James did—he was already so popular that if he one mishap, it would soon be regarded as the new, cool thing. I wondered why he could not take me back to school as his girlfriend—was there something wrong with me? I knew how he had coveted me for years—we had confessed to each other as we lay in his bed one summer night in August. I sighed. Nothing can every go correctly for Lily Evans, can it?

I turned off the shower; the cold air against my body was bitter and piercing. I wrapped myself in a thick, fluffy towel and ran a comb through my hair. I examined my face in the mirror; my skin was clear, and I had a nice complexion; I knew my eyes were beautiful; I could see nothing wrong with my nose, or my lips, or my neck or hair. I was puzzled as to why James had dumped me. I dropped my towel to examine my body in the full length mirror. There was nothing wrong with it either that I could tell. My breasts were of a good size, I was not fat, and my legs were long. What on earth was wrong with me?

I lowered the lid of the toilet and sat on it like a chair. Maybe there was something wrong with my personality. I do admit, I am a bit of a know-it-all and sometimes a little bit rash, but all around, I am a nice person, I think. I have a lot of friends, not many enemies and nobody has really ever complained of me too much. I racked my brain for anything else, any other negative personality aspects, but I was at a loss. I could think of nothing more.

I stood up and wrapped my towel back around me. Opening the door, I was once again bitten by a burst of cold air as I walked into James's room. He was relaxing, fresh from his shower, on his bed reading a book about quidditch and wearing no shirt. "Have a nice shower?" he asked me.

"Yes," I replied, conjuring a blindfold and sending it over to him, "Put this on, I'm going to change now."

"Oh come on, Evans. I don't need that. I've seen you naked many times before," he said, barely looking up from his book.

I began to drop my towel and I felt his gaze, heavy on my naked back. I picked up my towel and walked over to him. I lay down beside him in the bed and pushed his book down. He looked over at me from beneath his glasses. "Is there something wrong with me James?" I asked him.

"What do you mean?" he replied, confused.

"Is there something wrong with the way I look, or act, or dress or my personality?"

He was taken aback and a smiled at my stupidity, "No, Lily, you are perfect in every way."

I smiled at him and we were silent for a few moments. "We're good friends, right?" I asked him.

"Of course," he replied, as he drew me closer to him. I rested my head against his naked shoulder. He didn't seem to mind that my hair was wet. "You're the only girl that I can hold a conversation with." I looked at him in surprise and he grinned. "It seems like every other girl at Hogwarts that I've been with is an airhead, except for you. You are the smartest one I know, Lily." I blushed from head to toe and he put down his quidditch book. "What about me?" he asked.

I raised my eyes. "I want the honest opinion, I won't be hurt, I promise," he begged.

"Are you positive?" I clarified, and he nodded his head. "Well, alright then. To start, you know that I always used to have the biggest crush on you, but despite my love for you, I always thought you were a thickheaded, self-adoring bully and I had no respect for you," I grinned at him and he did a mock gasp.

"Evans!" he feigned anger, but he was beaming. "_That _was unnecessary. You go too far! You horrible girl!" He began to tackle me and tickle me, pinning me down beneath him under the bed.

My towel was about to fall off and I loosened a free hand from his grip and pulled it up. He was directly on top of me, and I raised my index finger to his lips and said, "Shh…I wasn't finished."

"I know what you're going to say," he cut in.

"What, then?" I asked, playfully.

"That when we were together this summer, you realized I wasn't the monster you had thought me to be." He looked down and I nodded, indicating for him to continue, "But yesterday, at King's Cross, I turned back into that monster."

"Yes," I replied, "you did. But you redeemed yourself when you rescued me yesterday, and that, is who I believe to be the real James Potter."

He pulled himself off of me and we lay side by side, facing each other, his arms around my waist. "It's almost as if I turn into someone else when I am at that school. Someone who I don't necessarily mean to be—I guess I am just much kinder at home and out of school. I don't know why it is." He sighed.

"No," I told him, "You know what I think it is?"

"What?"

"I think that when you are at Hogwarts, you try to build yourself up and be this huge, almighty hero proving your power and superiority left and right when hexing an innocent passerby or bullying Snape."

There was a fierce look in his eyes. "Snape deserves it, Lily, each and every time."

"Seriously though, what does he do to you?" I asked tersely.

"Torture."

"What?" I was surprised. "How does he torture you?" I was genuinely confused and curious as I awaited his response.

"By saying certain things, just things that are really cruel." I could tell James was avoiding this as much as possible.

"James, you must tell me, please, I want to know."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"But they are about you."

I rounded on him. "How are they about me? What are you talking about?"

"Snivellus just goes around saying all these ridiculous, unnecessary comments about you to anyone who will listen. He calls you various names—not just Mudblood, and he says that if any Muggle born could die by his hand, you would be the first to go because you are the worst of them all.

"I'm sorry, Lily, I didn't want you to know this."

I was shocked. Absolutely puzzled and confused.

"But—but we had grown up together! He was my first friend in the Wizarding world! We used to play in the sandbox together in the local park. He was the one who told me I was a witch."

"What?!?" James was fuming. "I'm going to kill him. I swear on Merlin's beard, next chance I get I am getting my hands on him and will be saying "avada kedavra" before he could say "Potter."

"James, you can't. Don't stoop to his level. He is a very disturbed person, but I don't think he would ever harm me. I know him too well. I don't talk to him anymore, not at all since that day last year when he called me that awful word," I lectured James. He was running his fingers through my hair, dabbing at my tears with his thumb.

He lowered his lips to my face and kissed my wet cheeks. His lips drifted downwards towards mine and he brushed slightly against them. I opened my mouth, deepening the kiss, and the towel was now somewhere on the floor in the other side of the room. I slipped my leg in between his as his hands grazed my body. I pulled down his sweatpants and threw them the same direction as the towel. "Oh, Lily," he sighed, as I explored his body.

Afterwards, we cuddled under the blanket and he said to me, "I don't feel like going back to school right now. I don't want to become that Potter monster again. Can we go on a honeymoon?" I smiled and nodded my head yes, and we held each other close until the sun set behind the big windows.

**James's POV**

I felt a pang of guilt, as I stared down at Lily sleeping soundly in my arms. If she was right, if I really did turn into some sort of monster at Hogwarts, I knew it would hurt her again. I didn't want her to be hurt. She was too good for me; too perfect, to kind. I didn't deserve her, and I couldn't believe my luck. I felt her breathing gently against my shoulder as she napped, and I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. Right now, all I wanted to do was to protect her and keep her safe and happy. What had I been thinking yesterday morning?—at the Hogwarts Express when I had broken up with her. When I was with her, I felt whole and happy. I felt as though she was my other half; the one some people spend all their lives looking for. And here she was, in my arms, happily asleep after we had just escaped death.

I knew we would have to leave my house soon. I didn't know where to go. Hogwarts, I don't think, is safe enough, and if Lily died, I don't think I would ever be sane again. I had to keep her safe. It was my job, my responsibility. We would have to leave soon, preferably within the hour. There was turmoil within the Wizarding World. I had not been to the center of town, but I had seen no brooms flying around Godric's Hollow—no sign of life. I racked my brain for ideas; we would have to leave as quickly, and reach our destination as soon as we could. I wanted to go somewhere far away, where we would never be found. A broom would take too long, and would be unsafe for a long journey. We were too young to apparate, so that was out of the question, and using the Floo network would be unsafe as well, and there was no time to set up a portkey.

She shouldn't have taken me back. At least not yet. She should have let me suffer a bit longer. I would have to make it up to her somehow. Her head moved to the side as she stretched out her neck, opening her eyes. "Hello James," she said softly, resting her chin on my chest.

"Hey Lily," I said sadly.

""What's wrong?" she asked, with an immediate tone of concern, her big, green eyes wide with worry.

"We're going to have to get out of her, it's unsafe," I told her.

"But where will we go?"

I shrugged. "Not sure, but I want to get as far away from here as possible. We have to lay low for a while, I think, and then I assume we can return to school, trusting everything will be safe."

I described to her the issue of finding transportation and her eyes lit up straight away. "Get me a book, James. I know what we can do."

I handed her my copy of _Quidditch Through the Ages _and with her wand, she transfigured it into a small, leather booklet. I held it in my hands--I had never seen anything like it before. "What's this?"

"A passport," she said, "We're taking an airplane."

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